More Design: Essential things you didn't know you needed

[classtimesailer]

6 years ago, I would have traded in my Forester for a Volvo with this feature. It's all good we mad it but hey Zeus some scary times.

[chris7ed]

I did so much stupid stuff in a car as a teenager and I'd guess almost all of it was going under 55 mph and with a crappy am/fm radio.

[dgaddis]

People do stupid things, even smart people. Kids do even more stupid things, even smart kids. I used to take my Camry out on dirt roads and e-brake drift it through all the corners. I was pretty good at it too. One day it oversteered a bit much, ended up inches from the ditch, and that was enough to convince me to stop actin' a fool.

I remember one kid in HS, his parents bought him a brand new Ford F150 Lightening. Then, they ordered him a brand new 350Z (this was when they first came out, they weren't even available yet, so they pre-ordered it). He got a ticket for doing something like 40mph over the speed limit in the Lightening and lost his license before the Z came in.

[davids]

I find it obscene. The fact that it´s a key makes it a sinister metaphor to industries controlling your life.
No wonder retro 60s cars mean style, freedom and sexyness... no matter how silly that is, the Volvo key makes it happen.

If the kid does not behave, don´t give him the car keys.

Obscene?

Hey, if you don't like the features of the key you have choices:

1. Don't use the features;
2. Don't use the key;
3. Don't buy the car.

No one is compelling you. No one is legislating it as a requirement. It is a functional feature that each person is free to use or ignore.

You must get pretty angry at Facebook for being a business, huh?

[thollandpe]

Somewhere there is a picture of a butter yellow 1978 Ford Grenada, driver's arm casually out the window. Likely under 50 mph. On the roof is a ski rack, in the ski rack there are a pair of 210-mm skis with very tight Marker M4 bindings. My ski boots are in those bindings, with me in them, holding the best and deepest tuck I could.

Not to worry, I had eye protection and a windbreaker.

[colker]

Obscene?

Hey, if you don't like the features of the key you have choices:

1. Don't use the features;
2. Don't use the key;
3. Don't buy the car.

No one is compelling you. No one is legislating it as a requirement. It is a functional feature that each person is free to use or ignore.

You must get pretty angry at Facebook for being a business, huh?

Get your son his own car and don´t be cheap.

I get angry at facebook for spying private mails and bullying anyone who posts 18th century nude paintings... while You sound like those who buy any BS morality thrown at them.
Obey in silence as much as you like. Just avoid passing judgement on other people cause you are not very good at it.

[dgaddis]

Get your son his own car and don´t be cheap.

I get angry at facebook for spying private mails and bullying anyone who posts 18th century nude paintings... while You sound like those who buy any BS morality thrown at them.
Obey in silence as much as you like. Just avoid passing judgement on other people cause you are not very good at it.

These seem like contradictory statements.

[davids]

Get your son his own car and don´t be cheap.

I get angry at facebook for spying private mails and bullying anyone who posts 18th century nude paintings... while You sound like those who buy any BS morality thrown at them.
Obey in silence as much as you like. Just avoid passing judgement on other people cause you are not very good at it.

My dear Salonista,

Your fury is directed at a consumer product. You do not have to buy the product. You do not have to use the feature. It's your choice (But hey, it's clearly your choice to be outraged that the feature is even offered!)

My comments apply to Facebook just as much as to Volvo. If you don't like what Facebook is offering you are completely free to not use it. Completely. Free.

As far as your attack on me?

1. I don't have a son.
2. I will be as cheap as I please. Parenthetically, I don't understand why my original post - pointing out that you're free to not buy a Volvo or not use the feature - led you to accuse me of being cheap.
3. I don't "obey" consumer product companies. I either choose to use their products or to not use their products. They exert very little "control" over me either way.
4. I wasn't "passing judgement" on you. I was arguing against your point.

[Matthew Strongin]

From a design perspective, it would be good if companies could get on the same page about what the red key does. I hope nobody has both a Volvo and a Dodge Charger Hellcat...you wouldn't want to get those mixed up.

[davids]

Red means "stop". And "en fuego".

[Scott G.]

Red means "stop". And "en fuego".

This is country specific, in Italy...

Green = Go
Yellow = Go Faster
Red = Go Very Fast

The SRT is FCA, so it follows the Italian rules.

[Chad]

When my oldest turned 16 we were with Am Fam. They offered, at no cost to me, an in-car camera. It recorded forward thru the windshield and rearward into the car. Hung behind the rearview mirror. It was always running but only saved if there was a triggering event, bump, sudden start/stop or hard turn. Then is saved the 10 seconds before and after the event, sent you a weekly email with the event video clips and your young driver's "score" for the time period.

Kid hated it, I liked it for the most part. Some of the times it triggered were non-events, in my opinion. Other times it caught him doing the stupid shit it was supposed to catch and you had a chance to talk about it with them.

Substitute for parenting? I don't think so. My parents were engaged, at least what was normal for the times, i was a decent kid that did some incredibly stupid things in a car. It was a tool that I think was worth the trouble. Obviously the underwriters and actuaries felt it worth it to include it at no charge on a new driver's policy, the company made some huge claims about the reduction of accidents with those that used the device.

It's no different than sending your kids to driver's education, why the hell wouldn't you do whatever you could to reduce the risk of them getting into an accident? Finally, I am all for cars that jam cell phone/wifi signals while the car is in motion. It can wait until you can safely stop.

[mzilliox]

I'd say there are more injured/killed people due to texting or driving while under influence than kids doing drag races.

If a manufacturer really took security seriously they would jam any gsm/3g/wifi/whatever when the car is moving and ask the driver to pass some sort of psychotechnic/cognitive/logical test to figure out if the driver is in good shape to drive.

This! just marketing crap to make scared parents feel safer. and if that works for you cool, but like this poster said, its silly. the kids phone is the most dangerous thing they have in so many ways. if they did care they would not put TVs and internet in cars, but that doesn;t sell, so they just create more gimmicky crap. they are making life too easy, its boring really. i do not enjoy all this lazy being called progress.